A 14-year-old Kentucky student, who was expelled for allegedly writing a “kill list” last year, was allowed to return to school this month, sparking anger and outrage from parents who raised concerns over the safety of their children.
The parents spoke out against the decision to allow the teenager back during a recent school board meeting, saying it is “emotionally devastating” and “dangerous” to see their children attending the school with someone who threatened them.
The Boone County Board of Education allowed the student to attend Conner High School despite being charged with second-degree terroristic threats.
The eighth grade student had allegedly made threats against other classmates, including the son of the principal at Conner High School.
“As a father of a child on the active kill list, my statements will reflect my opinions based on the information I received from Conner High School,” said Rob Bidleman, a father of a student who he says was on the student’s “active kill list”, according to WLWT.
“When I received a call from the principal, it was emotionally devastating. All I could think about was my child in danger when they did nothing wrong.”
A mother, Deanne Corbin, told the school board meeting in Boone County: “Whatever help he has gotten, he is still a threat to be in an environment which fostered him to want to do a mass shooting and make a list of our students of Conner Middle School that are now at Conner High School.”
The allegations against the student came to light in November 2021 after a school resource officer was told about the student’s notebook. It allegedly had specific acts of violence in it and identified individuals, WXIX reported.
The student, who was interviewed by a school official, said he was “merely writing the thoughts down that were in his head”.
“The principal’s own son was on this child’s list of death threats,” said a mother, Jenny Murray, according to WXIX. “As dedicated and hard-working as he is — how is he not distracted by stress and anxiety, knowing that his son could be in danger?”
On Friday, Boone County School District Superintendent Matthew Turner wrote a letter to parents, saying said his hands are tied and urged them to “talk to your local state legislator”.
“The Kentucky Constitution guarantees the right to a public education for every child without prejudice, and we are obligated to follow state law,” Mr Turner wrote.
“I can assure you all appropriate safety measures have been taken and are in place,” he wrote. “Conner High School remains a safe school.”
